CRIME doesn't pay is a cliché that has been around as long as civilisation - but is that still true today after the police could only seize a fraction of the value of a Suffolk drugs factory?Cultivating cannabis plants is big business for some people - and the forces of law and order quite rightly put a great deal of effort into tracking down those running such operations.

CRIME doesn't pay is a cliché that has been around as long as civilisation - but is that still true today after the police could only seize a fraction of the value of a Suffolk drugs factory?

Cultivating cannabis plants is big business for some people - and the forces of law and order quite rightly put a great deal of effort into tracking down those running such operations.

So it is very disheartening to hear that in the case of the Clarkson Street drugs operation, an apparent oversight by the Suffolk office of the Crown Prosecution Service meant that the application to seize assets of more than £300,000 from one of the ringleaders of the gang proved unsuccessful.

Even that was only a fraction of the estimated true value of the factory - but a successful application would have blown a huge hole in Ha Phu Bui's pocket.

Now if that money is to be recovered it will have to come through the national Assets Recovery Agency which would see all the money go into a central pot - and not necessarily be used to fight crime in Suffolk.

The battle against drug dealers is inevitably long and expensive - especially if you target central figures like Ha Phu Bui.

Being able to claim money back is vital for the police because it will help to fund similar operations in the future.

It is a huge disappointment that an oversight has now seen any money recovered going out of Suffolk.

The CPS needs to have a full inquiry into what went wrong in this case and ensure a similar situation never happens again.

WALKING to and from school is good for children and good for the environment - but they have to be safe as they make their way to classes.

So it is worrying to hear that two Ipswich headteachers are concerned that speeding motorists are putting lives at risk outside their schools in the south west of the town.

Hopefully a lollipop patrol will help to make life safer outside Sprites primary, but whatever the authorities do, the message has to get across to motorists.

It is their responsibility to ensure they drive slowly and safely wherever they are - especially outside schools.

Meanwhile on the first gloomy morning of the autumn today, hundreds of motorists were travelling without lights turning making their vehicles very difficult to see for other road users including youngsters on their way to school.

DEBENHAM may have lost their FA Cup match of the day on Saturday, but the small Suffolk village team were real winners after a splendid tie.

They managed to attract their biggest ever crowd as the former cup winners from Wimbledon arrived at the leisure centre with more than 1,000 people paying to watch the match. The previous record had been less than 200!

And while 5-1 may be a comprehensive result, it was no disgrace and the team can take heart that this year's FA Cup brought a little bit of magic to the normally quiet fields of Mid Suffolk.